Own a Piece of Hudson Valley Walkway History

Hudson Valley history buffs, this one is for you.

Living in the Hudson Valley, we all know how iconic the Walkway Over The Hudson is. For those who don't know, the Walkway Over The Hudson is the world's longest elevated pedestrian bridge. The pedestrian bridge spans 1.28 miles from Dutchess to Ulster County (or Ulster to Dutchess, whichever way you enter).

The history of The Walkway Over the Hudson dates back to the 1800s. According to the Walkway Over the Hudson website, in 1889 the now-popular tourist destination was the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge that was used to "transport western raw materials to eastern industrial centers."

Not only was the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge used to transport materials, but it also hosted passenger trains that connected "Boston, New York, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington."

Unfortunately, a fire in 1974 destroyed the tracks on the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge. However, that lead to the 2009 opening of what we know as the Walkway Over the Hudson.

You can own a piece of that history.

The Walkway Over the Hudson shared on Facebook last week that they are now selling some of their histories. The Walkway wrote:

Did you know that the last train to cross the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge was on May 8, 1974? Own a piece of history and purchase an authentic railroad spike from the bridge, installed in 1889. Available at our pavilions and at shop.walkway.org

An authentic Poughkeepsie-Highland railroad bridge spike will only cost you $20. That seems like a pretty great deal for a piece of Hudson Valley history.

Not only does the Walkway store offer historic items, but they also have sweatshirts, hats, paintings, and books on sale too.

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Filed Under: Highland, Hudson Valley, Poughkeepsie, Walkway Over the Hudson

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